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Porter, David

(Encyclopedia)Porter, David, 1780–1843, American naval officer, b. Boston. Appointed a midshipman in 1798, he served in the West Indies and in the war with Tripoli. In 1803 his ship, the Philadelphia, was capture...

home economics

(Encyclopedia)home economics, study of homemaking and the relation of the home to the community. Formerly limited to problems of food (nutrition and cookery), clothing, sewing, textiles, household equipment, housec...

Defense, United States Department of

(Encyclopedia)Defense, United States Department of, executive department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to nationa...

budget

(Encyclopedia)budget, inclusive list of proposed expenditures and expected receipts of any person, enterprise, or government for a specified period, usually one year. Budget estimates are based on the expenditures ...

La Vallière, Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc de

(Encyclopedia)La Vallière, Louise Françoise de La Baume Le Blanc de lwēz fräNswäzˈ də lä bōm lə bläN də lä välyĕrˈ [key], 1644–1710, mistress of King Louis XIV of France. Maid of honor to Louis's ...

legitimation

(Encyclopedia)legitimation, act of giving the status of legitimacy to a child whose parents were not married at the time the child was born. This is generally accomplished by the subsequent marriage of the parents....

National Museum of African American History and Culture

(Encyclopedia)National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C., a division of the Smithsonian Institution. Devoted to the collection, presentation, and preservation of the culture of Africa...

Tillotson, John

(Encyclopedia)Tillotson, John, 1630–94, English prelate, archbishop of Canterbury (1691–94). He was ordained in 1661. At the Savoy Conference (1661) he was present as an auditor on the side of the Presbyterians...

Bedfordshire

(Encyclopedia)Bedfordshire or Bedford, former county, central England. Also called Beds, it was abolished as an administrative authority in 2009, but it remains a ceremonial county under the Lieutenancies Act. The ...

Schumer, Chuck

(Encyclopedia)Schumer, Chuck (Charles Ellis Schumer), 1950–, American politician, b. Brooklyn, N.Y., grad. Harvard, 1971, Harvard law school, 1974. A liberal Democrat, he served three terms in the New York state ...